College Football - Football Betting

2005-10-30T15:59:00.000-08:00

Virginia Cavaliers

Oct. 22---College Football---
North Carolina 7 ... Virginia 5---College Football---
North Carolina got a two-yard touchdown pass to Rikki Cook in the first quarter for all the points it would need, and the defense took care of the rest only allowing a Connor Highs field goal in the fourth quarter. Virginia had a great chance to get in field goal range getting to the Tar Heel 36, but Marques Hagans was picked off. UNC was able to run down the clock to :06 and got the punt off, but had to run one more play after getting penalized after the ball was kicked by a celebrating Mike Mason. ---College Football---
Player of the game: North Carolina LBs Tommy Richardson and Larry Edwards combined for 21 tackles. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: UNC - Passing: Matt Baker, 13-24, 98 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Ronnie McGill, 23-118. Receiving: Jesse Holley, 4-46---College Football---
Virginia - Passing: Marques Hagans, 14-28, 109 yds, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Wali Lundy, 18-60. Receiving: Deyon Williams, 5-42---College Football---
What to take away from this game: There weren't many dumb mistakes against North Carolina, the defense played well, and Cavs had a great shot late, but simply couldn't get the offense on track and couldn't take advantage of any mistakes and breaks in momentum. Marques Hagans couldn't get anything going deep, while Wali Lundy never got room to roam. This was a tough, hard-fought defensive battle, and North Carolina's defense simply played better. ---College Football---
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Oct. 15
Virginia 26 ... Florida State 21---College Football---
Virginia took a 26-10 lead helped by two Marques Hagans touchdown passes and four Connor Hughes field goals, but the defense had to hang on for dear life as Florida State got a 22-yard touchdown pass to Chris Davis and a 32-yard Gary Cismesia field goal to pull within five. The Noles had one last chance, but Drew Weatherford's first pass was picked off by Tony Franklin to seal the win. FSU's other touchdown came on a 58-yard Lorenzo Booker run in the first quarter. Virginia was held to 20 yards rushing. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Virginia QB Marques Hagans completed 27 of 36 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns.---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford, 35-59, 377 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Lorenzo Booker, 7-69, 1 TD. Receiving: Willie Reid, 7-100---College Football---
Virginia - Passing: Marques Hagans, 27-36, 306 yds, 2 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Wali Lundy, 9-26. Receiving: Jonathan Stupar, 5-66, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: Talk about turning your season around, Virginia might not have gotten back into the ACC title race, but it certainly revived its bowl chances with the win over Florida State. Marques Hagans came up with one of the great unsung performances of the season not making any major mistakes against the pressure of the Seminole defense. While he didn't run, he used his quickness to buy time for the passing game. Kai Parham has to start getting a little bit of publicity as one of the nation's best linebackers. He did a little of everything. ---College Football---
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Oct. 8---College Football---
Boston College 28 ... Virginia 17---College Football---
BC QB Quinton Porter threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez and Brian Toal ran for two short touchdown runs in a sloppy game with the two teams combining for four turnovers and 22 penalties for 199 yards. Marques Hagans threw two touchdown passes to give Virginia a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter, but the offense was only able to manage a 37-yard field goal from Connor Hughes the rest of the way.
Player of the game: Boston College QB Quinton Porter completed 25 of 37 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown with an interception. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Boston College - Passing: Quinton Porter, 25-37, 301 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Andre Callender, 11-119, 1 TD. Receiving: Larry Lester, 7-93---College Football---
Virginia - Passing: Marques Hagans, 21-35, 195 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Michael Johnson, 11-61. Receiving: Deyon Williams, 6-78, 1 TD---College Football---
What to take away from this game: With Florida State, Virginia Tech and Miami on the schedule, the loss to Boston College might mean the season has slipped away. There's not enough of a running game with nothing consistently going with 155 yards against the Eagles, and there's still not enough in the passing attack to scare anyone despite Marques Hagans playing relatively well. The run defense is getting rolled over and desperately needed Ahmad Brooks back.---College Football---
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Oct. 1---College Football---
Maryland 45 ... Virginia 33---College Football---
Three fourth quarter touchdown runs, including two from Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore's second scoring run of the day, were enough for Maryland to get by Virginia. The Cavaliers got four Connor Hughes field goals, two Marques Hagans touchdown runs and a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown by Chris Cook, but the defense couldn't slow down a Terp attack that rolled up 570 yards of total offense. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Maryland RB Lance Ball ran 17 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Maryland - Passing: Sam Hollenbach, 25-33, 320 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Lance Ball, 17-163, 2 TD. Receiving: Danny Melendez, 9-125, 1 TD
Virginia - Passing: Marques Hagans, 17-35, 270 yds, 2 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Marques Hagans, 17-55, 2 TD. Receiving: Deyon Williams, 5-62
What to take away from this game: Virginia's offense hasn't been 100% sharp all season long, but it was the defense that failed against Maryland allowing 570 yards to a mediocre Terp attack. Virginia isn't going to win many games when it gets outrushed (250 yards to 136), and it didn't help that Maryland was able to rumble at will in the fourth quarter. Marques Hagans had a good game, but he needs more help from the rest of the running game. Wali Lundy has to get back to being Wali Lundy.
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Sept. 24---College Football---
Virginia 38 ... Duke 7---College Football---
Virginia QB Marques Hagans threw four touchdown passes with two to Deyon Williams, and Cedric Peerman added a 17-yard touchdown run in the easy win. The Cavalier defense forced four turnovers and only allowed 215 yards of total offense. Kai Parham made 12 tackles for the Cavaliers. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Virginia QB Marques Hagans completed 13 of 21 passes for 174 yards and four touchdowns. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Duke - Passing: Zack Asack, 7-13, 87 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT---College Football---
Rushing: Justin Boyle, 14-44. Receiving: Ronnie Williams, 4-32---College Football---
Virginia - Passing: Marques Hagans, 13-21, 174 yds, 4 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Cedric Peerman, 10-46, 1TD. Receiving: Deyon Williams, 4-49, 2 TD
What to take away from this game: Virginia beat Duke in a blowout, but the team still didn't look all that sharp. Granted, injuries have been a problem, and things are only getting worse with star offensive lineman D'Brickashaw Ferguson going out with a leg injury. Even so, the team is still 3-0 going into a good road trip to Maryland. If Marques Hagans can build on this performance, and the rest of the team can get healthy in a hurry, the Cavs has the potential to make some serious noise as the season goes on. ---College Football---
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Sept. 17---College Football---
Virginia 27 ... Syracuse 24---College Football---
Virginia's Connor Hughes hit a 19-yard field goal with one second to play for the win. The Cavaliers appeared to have the game in hand after a 70-yard touchdown run from Michael Johnson, but Syracuse came back on a three-yard Perry Patterson touchdown run and a 27-yard John Barker filed goal. The play of Virginia QB Marques Hagans on the final drive mixing up a few scrambles with some short passes proved to be the difference. Patterson ran for two scores for the Orange; Cedric Peerman scored twice for the Cavaliers. ---College Football---
Player of the game: Virginia QB Marques Hagans completed 16 of 26 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown with three interceptions, and ran 14 times for 108 yards. ---College Football---
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Perry Patterson, 18-27, 172 yds, 1 TD---College Football---
Rushing: Damien Rhodes, 27-79. Receiving: Joe Kowalewski, 8-96, 1 TD---College Football---
Virginia - Passing: Marques Hagans, 16-26, 145 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Marques Hagans, 14-110. Receiving: ---College Football---Deyon Williams, 7-62
What to take away from this game: Shaky, shaky, shaky. Virginia's defense had troubles against a mediocre Syracuse offense, while the Cavalier attack, without Wali Lundy, was saved by the play of Marques Hagans. Hagans wasn't sharp all game long, but he made the key plays needed to keep several drives alive, and he was calm and cool on the final, game-winning drive. Even so, the team still needs a lot of work after struggling way too much in the first two weeks. If the Duke game is a problem, then it'll really be time to worry.
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Sept. 3
Virginia 31 ... Western Michigan 19---College Football---
Down 24-3, Western Michigan worked its way back to within five helped by a 55-yard C.J. Wilson interception return for a touchdown and three Nate Meyer field goals. Virginia finally put the Broncos away on a 12-play, 69-yard drive helped by a Marques Hagans scramble for a first down and ending with a one-yard Cedric Peerman touchdown run. Hagans ran for a touchdown and threw for another.---College Football---
Player of the game: In the loss, Western Michigan WR Greg Jennings caught 16 passes for 156 yards---College Football---
Stat Leaders: WMU - Passing: Robbie Haas, 33-49, 271 yds---College Football---
Rushing: Mark Bonds, 30-119. Receiving: Greg Jennings, 16-156---College Football---
Virginia - Passing: Marques Hagans, 17-25, 252 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT ---College Football---
Rushing: Jason Snelling, 7-72. Receiving: Deyon Williams, 5-79---College Football---
What to take away from this game: The Virginia defense has to feel a little bit shell-shocked after being picked apart by the Western Michigan short passing game while the Cavalier offense struggled too much to put the game away. QB Marques Hagans didn't have a great game, but he made enough good plays to keep the Virginia offense moving when it had to and had the key scramble late when the offense really needed it. Chalk this up to opening day; hopefully the kinks were worked out before the Syracuse game. ---College Football---
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2005 Schedule
Sept. 3 - Western Michigan (2-9, 1-7 in MAC) – Offense: The offense wasn't always consistent last year, but the hope is for a that to change with QB Ryan Cubit working with his dad, the head coach, and with plenty of experience at every spot. There will be more two-back sets and a potentially devastating receiving corps with, arguably, the best receiver in the MAC in Greg Jennings and the best tight end in Tony Scheffler leading the way. The line is full of veterans that need to stay healthy until the depth develops. The key will be to improve the running game that was one of the worst in the nation last year.
Defense: Gone is the 4-2-5 alignment that led to the nation's 115th ranked defense and 114th scoring D, and in comes a more normal 4-3 bringing the extra safety up to linebacker. There's experience returning, but not a lot of playmakers. The first step is stopping the run after the front six got shoved all over the place last year. The next goal will be to generate a more consistent pass rush. The corners are inexperienced and will get lit up early, but there's enough speed and athleticism to hope for things to be better by midseason. ---College Football---
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Sept. 17 – at Syracuse (5-6, 4-3 in Big East) – Offense: The offense struggled way too much failing to get anything going in the passing game and finishing 100th in the nation in passing. Quarterbacks Perry Patterson and Joe Fields have to be more consistent, but they also need help with a young receiving corps that could struggle early on. The attack is being changed up a bit to throw it more in a West Coast attack, so the opportunities will be there. The offensive line is decent, but non-descript.---College Football---
Defense: The hiring of Greg Robinson as head coach should do nothing but help a defense that slipped into the abyss finishing 101st in the nation. There was little production against the run, nothing happening against the pass, and few clutch stops. There should be an improvement with a ton of returning experience led by a good-looking front seven. The corner is in the secondary where the corners have to make more plays after getting repeatedly torched last season.---College Football---
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Sept. 24 - Duke (3-8, 0-8 in ACC) – Offense: The Blue Devils can go nowhere but up after finishing dead-last in total offense averaging 266 yards per game and averaging 16.6 points per outing. There's experience returning among the skill players with quarterback Mike Schneider returning for his third year as a starter getting two fantastic tight ends, Andy Roland and Ben Patrick, to work with. The backfield will be a strength as long as Cedric Dargan can stay healthy, but they won't produce much behind a rebuilding offensive line that returns one starter.---College Football---
Defense: The defense couldn't stop anyone's running game finishing 113th in the nation and allowed 426 yards per game of total offense. Expect that to change as the line has gone from a weakness to a strength with star tackle recruit Vince Oghobaase taking over in the middle along with the hopeful return of end Phillip Alexander from a broken leg. The secondary will be fine led by corner John Talley, but the linebackers will be a concern early until two new starters get their feet wet.---College Football---
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Oct. 1 – at Maryland (6-5, 3-5 in ACC) - Offense: The Terp offense was non-existent for most of last year averaging a mere 298 yards and 17.7 points per game. Take out the 45-point explosion against woeful Temple and the 55-point destruction of Duke and Maryland would've averaged a mere 10.6 points per outing. Things won't be much better unless there's more production at quarterback. Sam Hollenbach will get the first look, but mobile Jordan Steffy and last year's starter, Joel Statham, will be in the hunt. There's little proven production from the rest of the skills spots, but there's a world of speed and athleticism. The line should be far better; the coaching staff raves about this group.---College Football---
Defense: Despite some huge losses (Shawne Merriman, Chris Kelley, Dominique Foxworth), last year's 21st best defense should turn out to be fine thanks to D'Qwell Jackson and a sensational linebacking corps. The back seven can move, and there might not be a faster cornerback pair in America than Gerrick McPhearson (4.28 40) and Josh Wilson (4.35). Pass rush is a concern without a true dominator to rely on, so the D will have to manufacture pressure early until young prospects like Trey Covington and Omar Savage can come through.---College Football---
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Oct. 8 – at Boston College (8-3, 5-3 in ACC) – Offense: The Eagle offense will be tough to stop in every phase if the receiving corps comes around. Larry Lester has to go from being a nice secondary target to a go-to receiver, while star corner Will Blackmon has to be a big-time threat. Quarterback Quinton Porter is back and ready to roar after redshirting last year using his experience and decision making ability to be a strong leader of the veteran attack. L.V Whitworth and Andre Callender form a strong 1-2 rushing punch behind the ACC's best line that returns all five starters.---College Football---
Defense: The Eagles will once again have a stingy defense after allowing a mere 333 yards and 17 points per game. The linebacking corps is terrific with all three starters returning led by weakside star Brian Toal. The line has tremendous potential working around All-American and future NFL millionaire Mathias Kiwanuka. Size is the only concern in a very productive secondary.---College Football---
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Oct. 15 - Florida State (projected finish 8-3, 6-2 in ACC) – Offense: Is this the weakest Florida State offense in since 1981? The starting quarterback situation is a potential mess with Xavier Lee not looking ready for primetime this spring, Wyatt Sexton suspended and Drew Weatherford hurt. The best receivers are true freshmen, and the line doesn't appear to be anything special. What the Noles do have are two fantastic running backs with Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker needing to carry the offense until Lee gets his feet wet. Talent-wise, there's enough here to be explosive after fighting through a ton of growing pains, but the jury is out on whether or not Jeff Bowden is enough of a top-shelf offensive coordinator to be able to lead the attack to a better season after finishing 61st in the nation in total offense.---College Football---
Defense: The linebacking corps is among the best in America and safety Pat Watkins is a first round draft pick, but the rest of the defense is a major question mark after finishing seventh in the nation and fourth in scoring defense. The loss of rising star NG Clifton Dickson to academic problems and CB Antonio Cromartie to a knee injury is a huge hit for the rest of the D. The secondary will turn out to be fine if the star recruits of last year can quickly progress.---College Football---
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Oct. 22 – at North Carolina (3-8, 3-5 in ACC) – Offense: Coordinator Gary Tranquill did a masterful job last year helping the Tar Heels to a big season finishing second in the ACC in total offense. The line is outstanding and the receiving corps is deep and underrated. There are concerns in the backfield needing new quarterback Matt Baker to be consistent, while inexperienced running backs Vince Wilson and Barrington Edwards need to pick up the slack for injured junior Ronnie McGill.---College Football---
Defense: Nine starters, not including top tackle Chase Page, return to a defense that finished 109th in the nation allowing 446.5 yards and 31.83 points per game. The most work has to be done in the run defense with the veteran linebacking corps needing to make far more plays to allow the safeties to play pass defense. The young, inconsistent line has to generate more of a pass rush and the secondary has to pick off more passes. ---College Football---
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Nov. 5 - Temple (predicted finish: 1-10) – Offense: The loss of do-it-all QB Walter Washington is a good and a bad thing. He was the Big East's best player, but the offense became too reliant on him. Pure passer Mike McGann will retake his starting job, but there's no depth whatsoever. The backfield and offensive line will lead to a strong rushing attack, but the new receiving corps has to make the offense more explosive.
Defense: Injuries, inexperience and inconsistency led to a miserable season from the defense allowing 439 yards and 36 points per game. Despite the loss of the two best players, LBs Rian Wallace and Troy Bennett, things should be better with a solid front wall helped by the return of Antwon Burton in the middle and an experienced secondary helped by the healthy return of CB Ray Lamb. ---College Football---
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Nov. 12 - Georgia Tech (7-4, 5-3 in ACC) – Offense: The offense's job will be to simply hold serve so the fantastic defense can win games. That could be a problem. QB Reggie Ball has been too erratic over his first two years throwing 18 interceptions last season. But unlike the talented backup quarterbacks, Ball is mobile making him more valuable playing behind an infant line that needs a ton of work. The running backs are among the best in the country if P.J. Daniels can stay healthy. Sophomore WR Calvin Johnson has future first-round draft pick written all over him, but there isn't a proven number two man to take the heat off.
Defense: It'll be a shock if this isn't one of the nation's best defenses. Nine starters (11 if you include DT Mansfield Wright who moved to offensive guard and CB Dennis Davis who returns from shoulder problems) come back from a defense that was a brick wall against the run and only allowed 18.9 points per game. The defensive front is tremendous with four starters who can do it all and four reserves ready to step into the rotation. Gerris Wilkinson leads a good linebacking corps that's missing experienced depth. The secondary will be better than ever with Chris Reis moving from linebacker to safety and Davis returning to man the corner spot opposite of Reuben Houston.---College Football---
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Nov. 19 - Virginia Tech (9-2, 6-2 in ACC) – Offense: The offense was efficient last year, but it didn't move the ball much averaging almost 31 points per game despite only averaging 366 yards. Now this should be a devastating attack as long as Marcus Vick plays like he's supposed to. There are two great quarterback prospects (Sean Glennon and Cory Holt) also in the mix, but Vick is the type of player who can make this loaded attack special. There's too much talent at running back and receiver for one football, and the line is big and will be fine in time. Expect big, explosive numbers, but the question is whether or not someone can pick up the leadership slack left by Bryan Randall.---College Football---
Defense: While this probably won't be the killer defense it was last year when it finished fourth in the nation and second in scoring defense, it'll still be impressive with a tremendous front four, an experienced linebacking corps, and All-America corner Jimmy Williams leading the secondary. Depth is a bit of a problem in the back seven with decent, but mostly inexperienced prospects being shuffled around to find the right fit. Like always with the Hokies, expect plenty of great athletes, lots of big plays, and another good year.
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Nov. 26 – at Miami (10-1, 7-1 in ACC) – Offense: The Cane offense is long on great prospects, but short on proven production. Unlike last year when the attack relied on experience over potential, players like QB Kyle Wright, RB Tyrone Moss and WR Lance Leggett have more excitement around them and have more NFL potential. Moss and Leggett have given a glimpse of what they can do, but Wright, or Kirby Freeman, has to show the maturity and poise to handle one of college football's most glamorous and highly scrutinized positions. The offensive line will be more than solid, but it needs Eric Winston and Tyler McMeans to return to pre-injury form.---College Football---
Defense: This will be one of the best defenses in the country, if not the best. The only concern is with a run defense that was surprisingly soft last year allowing 155 yards per game. If that's tightened up, this will be a killer with 11 players returning who started six or more games last year. That doesn't include superstar Devin Hester taking over the full-time job at one of the corners. The linebacking corps has the potential to be one of Miami's best ever.---College Football---
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2005-10-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

Fresno State (4-1) at Idaho (1-5), 5 pm ET ---college football---
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Why to watch: Fresno State is on a roll winning three straight with dominating performances against New Mexico State and Utah State, and it could use another tune up before going on the road for an ever-dangerous Hawaii road game. Ranked in the polls and considered the favorite for the WAC title, even ahead of Boise State, the team wants an easy win to keep the buzz going. Idaho wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum of the 27-13 win over Utah State with a 62-14 nail-biter against Nevada. The Vandals need to keep improving, and this will be another indication of where the program is at compared to the WAC’s best. ---college football---
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Why Fresno State might win: Idaho has issues on both sides of the ball, but Fresno State will be able to mostly exploit the run defense. Nevada had good balance last week, but it won in a walk thanks to 265 rushing yards. Considering the Vandals have played non-rushing teams like Utah State and Hawaii, allowing an average of 172 yards per game is a lot. The Bulldogs are averaging 170 yards per game and should be able to roll for 300 if the backs get into a groove. ---college football---
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Why Idaho might win: The Fresno State pass defense can be thrown on. Mostly, teams have been throwing in comeback mode, but Idaho occasionally comes up with a big passing day out of the blue, and with the running game not working since Jayson Bird has been out with a broken collarbone, will have to bomb away to keep this close. That means … ---college football---
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Who to watch: … QB Steven Wichman has to be better. He’s throwing for a bunch of yards with 275 against Nevada, but many of those games when the game was out of reach. He completed 20 of 25 passes against Utah State, and has was accurate against Washington, but he needs to find the form that led to the 390-yard, three touchdown day in the 34-31 loss to UNLV to keep it close this week. ---college football---
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What will happen: Fresno State will be able to call its shot. Idaho simply doesn’t have anything on either side of the ball to keep this close. ---college football---
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CFN Prediction: Fresno State 48 … Idaho 10 ... Line: Fresno State -28.5 | Make your pick and compete against others ---college football---
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Must See Rating: (5 lock yourself in a room to watch - 1 The Tyra Banks Show) ... 1.5
Final Score: ---college football---

2005-10-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

They're still No. 1

By Arash Markazi

Not too long ago, college and pro football writers were discussing what would happen if USC played a team like the San Francisco 49ers or Houston Texans. USC had opened the season by rolling up 63 and 70 points against Hawaii and Arkansas, respectively, and the consensus was that the Trojans would probably score some points against either of those hapless pro teams, but that no college team could truly compete against an NFL squad. Sure, USC might have a handful of pro prospects on both sides of the ball, but NFL rosters are filled with pros, not prospects.

Given how the Trojans have played the past three weeks, though, those conversations now seem as ridiculous as the one general managers probably had eight years ago when they wrestled with which quarterback to take: Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf. - College Football -

USC is still the No. 1 team in the nation and still riding an impressive winning streak (27 and counting) with an all-star backfield of Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and LenDale White. But anyone who has seen the Trojans the past three weeks cannot be too impressed with their performance. They were down 13-0 to Oregon in the second quarter, down 21-3 at the half and 28-24 with less than four minutes to go against Arizona State. And last week, against an Arizona team that was shut out the previous week by Cal, USC found itself in a 28-21 game with less than 13 minutes remaining. - College Football -

The Trojans been playing like a college student taking a pass/fail class and living by the motto "C's get degrees." It's a phrase that one might even hear from coachPete Carroll after another comeback win against a lesser opponent. "I don't know what more you can expect," Carroll said after the Arizona win. "I'm a football coach. I've been coaching for 37 years and you don't win every game everything-to-nothing. It just doesn't happen like that. I wish it did, but it just doesn't." - College Football -

It's not that anyone expects the Trojans to become the first team in history to win all its games "everything-to-nothing," it's just that USC doesn't look like the unbeatable force that it had been hyped to be. While the Trojans have won all five of their games by double-digits, they are also leading the country in the cliched "it was closer than the final score would indicate" quotes. - College Football -

2005-10-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

Explosion outside college football game
Authorities: One killed, apparently a suicide

NORMAN, Oklahoma (AP) -- One person was killed in an explosion near a packed football stadium at the University of Oklahoma on Saturday night in what authorities said appeared to be a suicide.

The blast, in a traffic circle about 100 yards from Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, could be heard by some in the crowd of 84,000, but university President David Boren said no one inside the stadium was ever in danger. - College Football -

"We are apparently dealing with an individual suicide, which is under full investigation," Boren said in a statement. There was no information about the person who was killed, and no reports of any other injuries.

A police bomb squad detonated explosives found at the site of the blast. The area near the stadium was searched by bomb-sniffing dogs. - College Football -

Jaclyn Hull, an OU freshman who left the game shortly before the explosion, said she saw "a little bit of smoke, about as much as you would see coming up from a grill."

Officers cordoned off an area west of the stadium after the explosion and nobody was allowed out of the stadium for about a half-hour after the blast, which occurred shortly before 8 p.m., about halftime of the Sooners' game against Kansas State. The game continued. - College Football -

2005-09-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

Stewart Ray "Red" Faught, pioneering football coach, dies

Associated Press

FRANKLIN, Ind. - Stewart Ray "Red" Faught, who coached Franklin College's football team for 32 seasons and helped pioneer the high-flying run-and-shoot offense, has died. He was 81.

Faught, who died Friday, coached Franklin from 1957-88, producing teams known for lining up from sideline to sideline and airing it out. - College Football -

"His quarterbacks would throw the ball as soon as they stepped off the bus, and they wouldn't stop throwing until they stepped back on," said Don Treibic, a friend of Faught's and the former announcer of Grizzliesfootball games.

"He wanted to win games, and he felt that was the way to win them," Treibic said.

At least 50 of his former players became coaches, including Indiana University head coach Terry Hoeppner.

Hoeppner, Treibic and former NFL quarterback Jeff George were among the close circle of friends who visited Faught in his final hours Friday. - College Football -

"He was my second father and mentor," Hoeppner said. "I wouldn't be where I am today without Coach Faught, and I always called him that. He was my coach."

Faught's "Red Shoot" offense helped one of the smallest schools in its conference become successful. - College Football -

When he retired in 1988, Faught had amassed 18 winning seasons at Franklin - more than all 14 of his predecessors combined dating back to thecollege's first football season in 1886.

He closed with a career record of 160-139-6, which at the time ranked fourth in NAIA Division II victories.

Faught became the offensive coordinator for one of Franklin's fiercest rivals, Georgetown College in Kentucky, from 1990 to 1992. He was there in 1991 when the team went 13-1 and won the NAIA national championship.

In 1999, Franklin College named its stadium in honor of Faught, who was a World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient. - College Football -

Visitation will be at Flinn and Maguire Funeral Home on Tuesday. He will be remembered Wednesday during a service at Franklin College's Spurlock Center, with burial with military honors at Greenlawn Cemetery.

2005-09-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

Football Notes: Vickers unable to practice with Cats

JOHN MOREDICH
Tucson Citizen

University of Arizona highly touted junior college transfer receiver B.J. Vickers is not practicing with the Wildcats.

Vickers did not work out with the team yesterday. He did not make the trip to Utah for the season opener for undisclosed reasons.

Arizona coach Mike Stoops said he can't comment on Vickers' situation because of student privacy acts, but did indicate he was not penalized because offootball related issues.

Vickers, from Santa Monica (Calif.) Junior College, was expected to be a big factor after fall camp.

Stoops repeatedly said Vickers was the best junior college receiver available when he enrolled at the UA in January.

"This is a kid who has been here for seven months. We certainly miss his athleticism," Stoop said when asked about Vickers' loss from afootball aspect.

Vickers, listed on the depth chart as a possible starter before the Utah game, was a second-team All-American after notching more than 700 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore.

In his two-year career at Santa Monica he caught 67 passes for more than 1,500 yards and 22 scores.

"I think B.J. is a great player and a big threat," Arizona quarterback Richard Kovalcheck said. "Not having him out here is obviously a loss. I think we have some guys who can step up in his place, but I am hoping he can get back out here."

2005-08-31T07:01:00.000-07:00

Fanfare Greets Spurrier's College Return

By PETE IACOBELLI, AP Sports Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Cue the TV cameras and dig out the new visors. Steve Spurrier is back. Spurrier begins his South Carolina coaching career Thursday night against Central Florida. And befitting the return of one ofcollege football's most charismatic personalities, a joyous party is planned for sold-out Williams-Brice Stadium.

ESPN is basing its College GameDay show in town, along with profiling the Palmetto State in the network's continuing feature highlighting all 50 states. The country band Big & Rich will perform before the game.

The main attraction, though, comes before kickoff when the 60-year-old Spurrier steps onto the field after three years away from thecollege game where his Florida teams once consistently contended for the national title.

"We realize we have not done anything to earn the spotlight, but we'll take it," Spurrier said. "Hopefully, our play will prove that maybe we deserve it. So that's what we'll try and do Thursday night."

Spurrier was involved the last time South Carolina enjoyed this sort of attention. Then, he was a bitter rival as Florida came to town and, with a 54-17 victory, ended the Gamecocks' bid for an SEC Eastern Division title in 2001.

He left in true Spurrier style, poking fun at South Carolina's efforts to "Black Out Florida" — fans dressed in black to show unity — when he said one of his receivers mentioned it was "nice of them to wear all black so we can pick the ball out of the sky."

Those same Gamecock supporters who angrily crumpled up Spurrier's jabs after reading the next day's newspaper have turned out in record numbers to support their newest star. The stadium has been sold out for weeks, fans came by the hundreds to watch routine summer practices and Spurrier has been cheered at every appearance.

His new players are eating it up.

Defensive end Orus Lambert says Spurrier's legacy in the SEC is the excitement and passion he generates. "We love it and we can't wait to play," he says.

Spurrier has increased the school's exposure as well. He has been a one-man publicity machine for South Carolina this offseason, putting a happy face on the team's numerous problems — including criminal charges against several players and NCAA probation for violations during predecessor Lou Holtz's tenure. He has discussed losing desire near the end of his disappointing two years as Washington Redkins coach, of growing tired of golf during his year off and surprising many in college football by choosing to lead one of his favorite patsies from his Florida days. Spurrier's Gators were 10-0 against the Gamecocks.

Through it all, Spurrier has grinned and vowed the Gamecocks indeed have what it takes to win a Southeastern Conference title — but maybe not right away.

"I do think that we have a team that has a chance to do some good things this year," Spurrier said. "Now, whether or not we achieve that, we will just have to wait and see."

Central Florida enters the game with a 15-game losing streak. The Golden Knights have lost their season opener on ESPN each of the past three seasons.

UCF coach George O'Leary, who resigned five days after taking the coaching job at Notre Dame because he lied on his resume, has had his share of experience with media attention. He has tried to put the focus on South Carolina's team, not its superstar coach.

"The game's about South Carolina and UCF football players," O'Leary said. "The players are only thinking about who they'll look across from, they're not concerned about Steve or myself."

But Spurrier knows he'll get a lot of TV attention Thursday night.

"We're trying to make it a positive," Spurrier said. "We're trying to tell them just a little bit it's a big game for us. This is not just another game. This is a big game because we're in the national spotlight. ... Let's take advantage of it."

2005-08-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

Football fan fashions
Football season is around the corner and so are the hottest school spirit trends

Football season is just around the corner and many students can't wait to cheer the Seminoles into a winning year. School spirit fills the air while students express themselves by adorning their bodies in garnet and gold glitter paint, throwing a huge pre-game party or wearing school logos and colors. - College Football -
Collegiate fashion trends have taken a more modern approach these days. School related clothing has gone from the boring cotton tee to stylish halter tops, tanks, dresses and polo shirts. What happens in the fashion world seems to carry ontocollege campuses nationwide.
"The main trends I've noticed with girls are the tank or halter tops with a jean skirt or pants depending on the weather, and baby tees," Bill's Bookstore associate Daniel Wassef said. "With the guys, it's a little less complicated. They just come in for a t-shirt and call it a day."

Local college stores are selling more updated clothing. For women, halter tops with embroidered Seminole logos, tube top dresses, flip flops and straw cowboy hats are some of the most popular items. Men can choose from an array of polo shirts, competitive humored screen tees, jerseys, camouflaged baseball caps and leather belts. - College Football -

Accessories have always been popular, but this year, students are finding any excuse to wear those hot little extras that complete the Seminole look. Stores are selling dangly earrings, bracelets, bangles, necklaces, beads, socks, body jewelry, temporary tattoos and much more. Our school colors fall into play in the metallic scene, making accessories and clothing easier to wear in everyday life. - College Football -

"Our store gets shipments almost every week," Wassef said. "We are getting fitted tees and tops for girls and more preppy shirts for guys. It's a more put together look." Styles seem to be imitating some of the most popular clothes in our everyday lives. Seminole polos are looking more like Lacoste shirts, baseball caps are starting to resemble Volcom trucker hats, and FSU flip flops are imitating Reef sandals.

With the modern and updated styles of shirts, hats, shoes and socks, football fashion is more enjoyable and represents not only the individual's style, but the style and personality of the school. "I like wearing anything comfortable and I usually don't really take time to put together my clothes, but I always manage to wear something garnet and gold to show off," Wassef said.

Keeping school spirit no longer has to be plain and boring. It can fun and stylish. Although many male students may still wear the simple cotton tee and shorts, female students have the option to go above and beyond, mixing and matching different items and adding their own creative and original flare.Football season is not only about the game and spirit, but the fun and the fashion, as well. So Seminole students, "Chop 'til you Drop" and show that Seminole pride.

Maeling Demdam

2005-08-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

Sports Focus: U.Va. Football
Snelling hoping for health Misfortune has slowed versatile fullback's rise toward college stardom

Aug 16, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE In Division I-A football, there may not be a more talented fullback than Jason Snelling. For that talent to benefit the Virginia Cavaliers, however, Snelling needs to stay healthy, and that's been an issue during his star-crossed college career.
An unheralded recruit coming out of L.C. Bird High, Snelling emerged as a playmaker as a true freshman in 2002, particularly as a receiver, but a medical condition caused him to miss two games that season. - College Football -
In 2003, the former Skyhawk chose to redshirt. Snelling used the time off to address his condition, which a neurologist brought under control with medication, and he regained his spot on the first team during spring practice in 2004.
Snelling, who prefers not to discuss his condition in detail, started the first five games last season, all U.Va. victories. In the opening moments of the fifth game, however, he suffered a high ankle sprain. - College Football -
And just like that, his season was essentially over. He missed the next five games and didn't rejoin the starting lineup until the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho.
Did his 2004 season frustrate Snelling? Absolutely. But the 5-11, 245-pound junior insisted recently that he doesn't believe he's doomed to never stay healthy for an entire season at U.Va.
"It's just life," Snelling said. "Everything in life doesn't go right. You've just got to pick back up and keep moving forward."
When Snelling touched the ball as a freshman, he was usually on the receiving end of a pass. He rushed only nine times but had 31 receptions for 314 yards and four touchdowns. As a sophomore, Snelling saw his role change as the Cavaliers shifted to a run-oriented attack. He carried 26 times for 189 yards and one TD and caught only five passes last season. But whether he's running or catching -- or simply blocking -- No. 38 clearly is a special talent.
Snelling "has proven, when he is available, he's one of our best players," Virginia coach Al Groh said. - College Football -
To senior quarterback Marques Hagans, Snelling is "like a running back playing fullback. He's big, but he can move, he can block, he can catch. He's got a little bit of moves, too. It's good to have a guy back there like that." - College Football -
Like U.Va. tailback Wali Lundy, Snelling can "catch the ball, turn upfield and get you like 15 or 20 extra yards off a 2-yard pass," Hagans said. "I think sometimes we do miss him when he's not in there. When he is in there, the offense does click a little better."
Snelling, who's run with the first-team offense throughout training camp, hasn't worked solely at fullback. He was an All-Metro tailback at Bird, and he may take some turns at that position this season. - College Football -
"He's certainly a player we would consider an option there," Groh said.
Snelling said he came into camp with the "mind-set that I've got to put last year behind me. It was kind of upsetting, going through all the things I had to do and then getting hurt with the ankle injury, but I'm just trying to focus on the new season. It's a new year."
And if he can stay healthy for a full season?
"I can do big things," Snelling said. "I have a lot of confidence in myself, and I plan on doing that this year."

BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH

2005-08-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Big goals at a small college

Brian Drew's first thought was terrifying. Was he, a 17-year-old kid really having a stroke?
On Oct. 1, the morning after he helped West Milford's football team beat Wayne Valley, the left side of Drew's face was frozen in place. As the day went on his left eye wouldn't close, it wouldn't even blink. His face was numb. - College Football -
Yeah, this was frightening.
"I couldn't imagine what it was," said Drew, the former All-Passaic County defensive end for the Highlanders. "I was thinking stroke, but I'm young and that is weird. I didn't know what it was. I was nervous. I have never heard of it or seen anyone with it."
After visiting the emergency room that night, Drew and his family were told he had Bell's palsy, also known as facial nerve paralysis. It's a disorder caused by damage to a cranial nerve that produces sudden facial drooping or facial paralysis. According to a Web site on Bell's palsy, it affects 40,000 Americans annually. - College Football -
"It was through his eyes and mouth," said Brian's mother, Ann Drew. "You could tell there was something wrong." - College Football -
Fortunately for Drew, Bell's palsy isn't life threatening. His goal of finishing his high school football career on the field instead of the sidelines was still intact. After consulting with two doctors, Drew missed just two games before he returned to forging his path into college.
On Aug. 13, when he reports to Lebanon Valley College for football practice, Brian will be the first of the four Drew boys to attend a four-year college. His older brothers - Roger, Eugene and Justin - all made it through trade schools, but the youngest Drew, who is 6 feet 2 and 215 pounds, is banking on a strong education and football career at the Division III school.
In the meantime, he's working 12 hours a day, six days a week as a mechanic to earn money for school. He's lifting weights nearly every night, but hasn't played football since the Robeson All-Star Classic football game June 17. - College Football -
"A smaller school is what I always thought about because I would get more playing time and a better education," said Drew, who had 22 sacks in his final two seasons at West Milford. "I thought about [a Division I school] a lot. It would be really cool, but I'm not that big. I'm tall but I don't have the weight yet, so if I go to a smaller school I can play."
He looked into Wagner, a Division I-AA program, but Ann Drew said her son would have had to sit out his first year and there were no guarantees of playing time. Lebanon Valley provided that guarantee, Ann said, but Brian won't rule out a transfer if things go really well at Lebanon Valley. - College Football -
While at Lebanon Valley, Drew will have two issues to overcome: He knows nobody at the school and his Bell's palsy is almost certain to return. In fact, Brian said it's back now in a regressed form. He said it shows in his smile.
"It's a little crooked," Drew said.
"When he gets tired his eyes get droopy and his mouth looks odd when he's drinking," added Ann, who said the family knows a 10-year-old girl suffering from Bell's palsy, and it has returned three times since the original diagnosis. "You don't really notice it, but I do because he's my kid. This stopped him dead in his tracks for two weeks." - College Football -
Drew missed two weeks of school after his original diagnosis. He returned in time for the Highlanders' game against Vernon. However, he played his best games against Passaic Tech in the regular-season finale, and Old Tappan in a State consolation game.
The Highlanders won both games by a combined 68-26 and finished the season 6-4.
"He played like Brian can play against PCT and Old Tappan," said West Milford assistant coach Mark Mickins. "A lot of our problems last year was because Brian wasn't at full strength. If he didn't have the circumstances ... let's just say Lebanon Valley is getting a heck of a football player." - College Football -
One who won't let Bell's palsy haunt him.
"It does make me nervous, but I've been doing fine so far and I'm not going to let it affect me," Drew said. "I know what it is. I know what to expect."

DAN ROSEN
STAFF WRITER

2005-07-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

3 conference teams await early tests
Ga. Tech visits Auburn; Miami opens at FSU

HOT SPRINGS, Va. - Several big-time games will attract national attention to start the college football season and two of them involve ACC teams: Georgia Tech at Auburn (Sept. 3) and Miami at Florida State (Sept. 5). - College Football -
"It's going to go a long way toward determining the outlook of the season," Georgia Tech tailback P.J. Daniels said of its game at the ACC's Operation Football at The Homestead resort. "It gives you a mind-set of how good you are for the rest of the season." - College Football -
The Yellow Jackets will have to be good quickly: Auburn was 13-0 last season.
Florida State tailback Leon Washington would prefer to wait on the rival Hurricanes.
"Let us make all our mistakes early on and then play them," he said.
Pack LB disagrees with Amato on call
N.C. State linebacker Oliver Hoyte doesn't share coach Chuck Amato's frustration with a call that cost the team a potential win last season in the closing seconds at North Carolina.Last week, Amato traded barbs with UNC coach John Bunting over the referee's decision to nullify T.A. McLendon's touchdown. The Tar Heels held on to win 30-24.
Hoyte said Sunday he was "neutral" on the ACC's new instant replay. Replay might have given the Wolfpack a touchdown, but Hoyte said that doesn't matter. - College Football -
"We should have never been in a situation where it comes down to one call," Hoyte said.
Tramain Hall, a halfback and wide receiver, agreed with Amato. Hall said McLendon's knee was not down before the ball crossed the goal line. - College Football -
"Instant replay would be good for us," Hall said. "Eye in the sky don't lie."
Notes
• Hall says the nature of the Wolfpack's offense will change under coordinator Marc Trestman. "We're like robots," Hall said. "We're like 1-2-3, coming out of that break when we're running our routes. With him it's all about being a student of the game."
N.C. State finished seventh in the ACC in total offense in 2004. - College Football -
• Duke senior defensive end Philip Alexander said he is 95 percent healthy from a broken leg suffered in the second game of last season at Connecticut. He is on medical redshirt.
• N.C. State is keeping former coordinator Reggie Herring's defense even though he left for Arkansas after one season. The team led the nation in total defense in 2004 (221.4 ypg).
"It's easier for one guy (new coordinator Steve Dunlap) to learn the scheme than for 50 guys," Hoyte said. - College Football -

DAVID SCOTT
Staff Writer

2005-07-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

EA's NCAA Football 06 in Stores Today; The Ultimate College Football Experience Features All-New Race for the Heisman Mode

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 2005--Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that NCAA(R) Football 06, the newest iteration of EA SPORTS(TM) best-selling college football video game franchise, is now available in stores nationwide. NCAA Football 06 has the exclusive license for college football videogames, and is the only game to feature actual teams, stadiums and schools.
Packed with new modes and features, NCAA Football 06 captures the unique electricity of college football. The all-new Race for the Heisman mode gives players the chance to experience the ultimate goal in college football - winning the Heisman Memorial Trophy(TM). Starting out as a high school prep star, players will begin their career on the practice field in search of scholarship offers and then work their way to becoming one of the nation's top collegiate players.
In NCAA Football 06, gamers can also act as Impact Players to single handedly break games wide open with highlight reel moves and special animations. Through a revamped Dynasty Mode, gamers can take control of a program and make a run for the championship year after year. In addition, redesigned graphics, improved gameplay and new in-studio commentary and analysis by Brad Nessler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit make NCAA Football 06 the most authentic and realistic college football gaming experience.
Developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon, NCAA Football 06 is available for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft. The game is rated "E" (Everyone) by the ESRB and has an MSRP of $49.99 for both console versions.

E.A.

2005-07-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

Body, soul, spirit of college ball in NCAA 2006

The clouds don't move in NCAA Football 2006. Even when there's a 25-mph wind at UC Berkeley's Memorial Stadium, they are stationary objects in the sky -- as if some guy painted them on your television with Liquid Paper.
After playing for two addicting weeks, that was the only serious flaw we could find in the new college football game from Electronic Arts. NCAA 2006 achieves the scary levels of behind-the-scenes detail that gamers have come to expect from the series -- and then adds a new time-sucking "Race for the Heisman" feature that lets you create a player and follow his career, from high school recruitment to the pros.
For adults who have been doing hard time, or haven't checked out the video game scene since the Pong era, a game such as NCAA 2006 is a serious unfrozen caveman experience. In two and a half short decades, the definition of video game football has developed monumentally, as follows:
1980: Video football at its best is four guys, who look like washing machines, plodding up and down a two-dimensional field. There is no kicking game, a useless passing game and a square football.
2005: Video football is exactly like real football, minus the moving clouds.
With more than 100 teams, NCAA 2006 may be the most ambitious sports game ever, offering accurate playbooks, mascots, fight songs and even crazed fans who wave homemade signs during the game. While the real-life NCAA still doesn't allow players' names to be used in NCAA 2006 (the cover athlete is Michigan's Braylon Edwards, who went pro months ago), the body, soul, spirit and jersey number of every important athlete is included, from dominant California Bears tailback Marshawn Lynch to Stanford up-and-coming quarterback T.C. Ostrander.
NCAA 2006 adds more value this year with its Race for the Heisman option, which lets gamers create their own character, get recruited by a college and make a run to become the best football player in the nation. It has just the kind of stupid little details -- notice how your dorm room keeps getting nicer furniture as you rack up more yards -- that separate routine games from the ones that make you blow off your friends and family in favor of more quality time with your Xbox.
There are other new gimmicks in NCAA 2006, but some of the best improvements are subtle. The physics in the game seem much improved, with increased capacity for seemingly random chaos on the football field. In our third game, playing Cal against Oklahoma, we lost on a fluke play -- where our cornerback tipped the ball sideways away from the intended wide receiver, and into the diving hands of another receiver coming from the other direction. (It's a powerful video game that can make you so angry, that you still feel like a colossal failure the next day.)
Even excellent sports video games can be a shaky investment. Along with a nearly unshakable $50 price point, they become worth much less when the season is over and the real-life rosters get rearranged. Last year's NCAA game in particular was a questionable allocation of your allowance, with few visible differences from the previous year.
This season, the improvements are huge. Outside of an option to take steroids and accept an H2 Hummer from a booster -- or maybe add a weatherman to the team -- it's hard to imagine how the makers of NCAA 2006 are going to top themselves next year.

Peter Hartlaub

2005-07-12T07:27:00.000-07:00

College Football: BCS adds new poll to mix this fall

The formula for determining the Bowl Championship Series standings was tweaked again yesterday with the addition of a new college football poll that will replace the one conducted by The Associated Press.

The AP had asked after last season not to have its poll included in the formula to determine BCS bowl participants. - College Football -

The Harris Interactive College Football Poll will rank the top 25 teams on a weekly basis during the season, but the first poll will not be released until Sept. 25, three weeks into the season. The panel will comprise former coaches, players and administrators and select members of the media. Eighty percent of the panel will be former coaches, players and administrators; 20 percent from the media. - College Football -

Other than the new Harris poll, the elements of the formula remain the same. The Harris poll will count a third along with the USA Today Coaches' poll and an average of the six computer rankings provided by Anderson & Hester, Richard Billingsley, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey, Jeff Sagarin and Peter Wolfe. - College Football -

The 114 participants in the new poll were randomly drawn by Harris Interactive from among more than 300 nominations from Division I-A conferences and Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White. Each of the 11 Division I-A conferences will be represented by 10 voters. Notre Dame was able to nominate three voters.

The voters are currently being filled by the conferences. BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg refused to divulge any of the names yesterday but said the voters' names will be released to the public before the start of the season. - College Football -

"The voters will take the responsibility seriously," Weiberg said. "The people who give their time have the ability to watch games and study results and will cast their votes as best they can. I think it's a group that has knowledge of and an interest in college football."

The 114 voters is almost double the size of the USA Today poll. Renee Smith, a senior research scientist for Harris, said yesterday that the higher number of voters ensures a better statistical analysis. - College Football -

Weiberg said he tried to get Grant Teaff, the head of the American Football Coaches' Association, to increase the number of voters in the coaches' poll, but Teaff balked at that idea.

Harris Interactive will post the poll on its Web site each Sunday. Individual votes will be made public for the final poll only, although voters can divulge their votes if they wish.

The coaches' poll also will not reveal votes until the final poll. - College Football -

The AP has made individual votes public for more than a decade because it believes it makes for a more credible poll. Weiberg was asked yesterday about the seeming lack of accountability in the process.

"We talked a long time about the poll being made public," Weiberg said. "But we thought it would detract from the games themselves. We decided it was an inappropriate step to take."
- College Football -
Weiberg and Harris Interactive senior vice president John Kennedy said recruitment for the poll is going well, with more than 80 people having committed to be voters.

They did reveal, however, that about a third of the original pool contacted turned down the opportunity to vote for various reasons.

A few major news organizations are not allowing their employees to take part in the new Harris poll. The New York Times and the Baltimore Sun are not allowing any of their employees to vote. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is considering allowing only its columnists to participate.

ESPN, which pulled it sponsorship from the coaches' poll after last season, is not allowing any of its employees to vote. - College Football -

Post-Gazette columnist Bob Smizik has voted in the AP poll in recent years, but no one from this newspaper has been approached about voting in the new Harris poll.

"I don't feel like it's our role to select a national champion," said Randy Harvey, sports editor at the Baltimore Sun. "It could lead potentially to great conflicts of interest. If we're in position to determine whether Maryland or Navy gets a bid to a BCS game or a better bowl, we're treading on perilous ground. If we vote for them, it looks like favoritism because they're a local school. If we vote against them, they're mad at us when we were just trying to be fair. I don't think it's a position we should be in." - College Football -

As is the case with other polls, the Harris voters will be evaluated after the season and could be subject to change. Each conference was solely responsible for deciding which voters were qualified to take part.

"We'll make adjustments as needed," Weiberg said. "We will be giving expectations to these voters."

By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

2005-07-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

Tolar players moving on to college careers

Four members of the 2005 class of Tolar Rattlers are continuing athletic careers at the college level, according to Tolar athletic director Mike Franklin. The head football and track coach said two boys have received scholarships and two others will participate in non-scholarship programs. - College Football -
Running back Tyler Williamson has accepted a scholarship from Tarleton University, which participates in the Lone Star Conference, a NCAA Division II league.Williamson rushed for 1,073 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Rattlers in a 7-3 season in 2004. He averaged 6.8 yards per carry. In addition, Williamson was named the District 14-A Defensive Player of the Year. He registered 93 tackles and a couple of fumble recoveries.Adam Yeager has signed a scholarship to run cross-country for Hardin University in Arkansas. Yeager advanced to regionals as a senior in 2004 after three consecutive trips to state. - College Football -
Yeager was also the placekicker for the Rattler football team.J.W. Pendleton is going to Hardin-Simmons as a lineman, and Dustin Waldrep is planning to take his football lineman skills to Sul Ross University, both Division III programs that do not offer scholarships. Tolar has two ex-Rattlers, Brad Clark and Cody Deaver, playing at Hardin-Simmons. Clark will be a senior and Deaver a junior. Clark rushed for a 4.6 average and two touchdowns for the Cowboys in 2004, playing in nine games, as they finished 10-1 and enter the 2005 season with a 10-game winning streak. - College Football -
Franklin said the new football prospects have been working on weights and running this summer. The coach thinks Williamson will be successful at the Division II level. Franklin says Williamson has the size to do the things that level of competition expects from fullbacks. Franklin said there is a senior kicker at Hardin-Simmons this fall. But he said he believes if Yeager wants to show the coaches what he can do, he could probably kick for them the next season. Earlier this year softball pitcher Malory Crowell was looking toward college softball and/or golf. It was not known at presstime if she has made a decision.Crowell led the Lady Rattlers to the second round of the Class A playoffs as a senior. - College Football -
As a junior she led Granbury to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs, pitching a no-hitter in bidistrict, before moving to Tolar.In three seasons of varsity pitching with Granbury and Tolar, Crowell was 40-28-1. She was co-MVP of District 7-A in 2005, posting a 9-8-1 record with a 1.08 ERA, 88 strikeouts and 19 walks in 90 2/3 innings.Crowell also hit .417 with 21 RBIs as a senior.Multi-sports standout Jessica Mendoza, who led the Lady Rattler golf team to its first state tournament berth in 2004, is going to attend Tarleton State University in the fall but is not going to participate in varsity sports. She said she might play intramurals.

BURL MCCLELLAN

College Football Players

2005-06-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

College Football Players
Schools continue conference shake-up

Change happens. Bob Lilly is enough of a realist to accept that
But there's still a bit of the romantic in the 65-year-old Football Hall of Famer, who as a kid in Texas used to tune into Southwest Conference broadcasts and drink in the colorful calls of radio legend Kern Tipps - to whom a fumble wasn't simply a fumble but a "malfunction at the junction."
Lilly recalls watching some games wide-eyed from the stands with his dad. Later he would star in them as an All-America tackle and future No. 1 draft pick at Texas Christian. "We had a big rivalry at the time with SMU ... and a pretty good rivalry with Rice, which during my era was a pretty good football team," he says. "Those were the good old days, in my opinion."
They're all gone now. The inimitable Tipps. The SWC. The rivalries - or at least the intraconference intensity that fed them.
TCU hasn't shared a league address with Southern Methodist or Rice in five years. The Horned Frogs haven't been able to work up a healthy competitive hate for anybody of late, calling four different conferences home in the past decade. Things were beginning to heat up with Louisville and Southern Mississippi in Conference USA, but Louisville bolted for the Big East and TCU is bound for the Mountain West.
Those are two of almost two dozen moves that become official Friday. They cap a dizzying round of conference hopping that has seen nearly one in five schools in the
NCAA' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> NCAA's top football-playing Division I-A change addresses in the last two years. It isn't merely realignment. It's a recasting.
The basketball-rich Atlantic Coast, which started it all by plucking Miami (Fla.) and Virginia Tech from the Big East two summers ago, now is a 12-team force in football, too. Miami, Tech and newly arriving Boston College were ranked at the end of last season, along with Florida State and Virginia.
The Big East took such a football hit that its automatic berth in the Bowl Championship Series might be shaky, but behold the power surge there in hoops. A league that already owns three of the last seven national championships brought in four new members - Louisville, Cincinnati, DePaul and Marquette, in addition to South Florida - that account for 100 NCAA tournament appearances, 19
Final Four' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Final Four berths and five national titles.
Conference USA might take some time to sort out. Nine schools, including TCU, are going. Six, including SMU and Rice, are coming.
Feelings were hurt, names were called and lawsuits were filed when the shakeout began. "At times, in different venues, it's been very difficult ... for me and also very difficult for our players and for our coaches," says Boston College athletics director Gene DeFelippo, looking back on the Eagles' final year in an affronted Big East.
"I think time has passed now. People are getting on with their lives and rebuilding conferences ... or building conferences, whatever."
Pacific-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen, whose league hasn't changed in nearly 30 years, suggests, "We need to step back and take a broader view and realize that these things do happen. It's kind of like we in California know that those earthquake plates are building up pressure and sooner or later, boom, something's going to snap. In college conferences, you've got different pressures building.
"It's pretty predictable that 10 years from now there'll be still more (movement)."
Geographically, a lot of what has happened makes sense. Boston College, a charter member of the Big East, is raising eyebrows in becoming the northernmost member of the ACC by more than 400 miles. It's 700 miles from North Carolina's Tobacco Road, the ACC epicenter. But Virginia Tech fits nicely, and Miami looks more natural in a Southern-leaning league.
The Western Athletic still is stretching to include Louisiana Tech. But in losing Rice, SMU, Texas-El Paso and Tulsa and picking up Idaho, Utah State and New Mexico State, it has shored up its Mountain and Pacific time zone identity.
Seeking a bigger challenge
Competitively, after going 30-8 and winning three championships in five years, Louisville had its sights set higher in football than Conference USA. So the Cardinals left for the Big East, which has automatic entry in the BCS for at least three more years.
TCU likewise sees more BCS possibilities in the Mountain West, where Utah ran the table last season and was able to break into the BCS' big-money bowl lineup. The league is hopeful of an automatic berth down the road.
"Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do to put yourself in the best situation," says Gary Patterson, heading into his sixth season as TCU football coach. "You have to look at our ultimate goal, and that was to give us the best opportunity to win - sometime and someday - a national championship. We felt like the Mountain West move was one that could do that because of the BCS."
The Southwest Conference, where the Horned Frogs won seven football titles and played in one Orange, two Sugar and six Cotton bowls, fell apart in 1995. The Frogs landed in the WAC, which split in half. They transferred to C-USA in 2001, but now it's being made over. A Mountain West invitation in January 2004 was too good to pass up.
"Change is inevitable," says TCU athletics director Danny Morrison, who moved into the job just two weeks ago.
"I happen to come from the Southern Conference (where he was commissioner for four years). It was founded in 1921 - it's the fourth- or fifth-oldest conference in America - and the Southeastern Conference split away in 1932. The ACC split away in 1953. So it's not like this (kind of) change hasn't occurred in history.
"It's a natural evolution. I think things will settle again and there'll be some stability. I really do think stability's important."
The Pac-10's Hansen, however, isn't alone in predicting further change. Later if not sooner.
Speculation persists about Baylor's future in the Big 12 and Arkansas' possible interest in moving there from the SEC. The Big 12 has had "general discussions ... on the changing landscape of conferences and its potential impact," Commissioner Kevin Weiberg says, "but there is no active plan or discussion regarding changing our own membership structure."
The Big Ten still is sitting on an odd number - 11 - which may not change unless the league finally can talk Notre Dame out of its football independence. That's an apparent non-issue until 2010, through which Notre Dame's $9 million-a-year contract with NBC has been extended.
What's the next move?
Will the Pac-10, static since Arizona and Arizona State joined in 1978, be obliged to follow the SEC, Big 12 and ACC and expand from 10 schools to 12? Even if it were, Hansen says, his league sees few if any attainable schools that come with a requisitely large TV market.
Most down-the-road suspicion involves the Big East, now a 16-member conference housing I-A and lower-division football schools and those that don't play football at all. "Sixteen is kind of unwieldy," former conference commissioner and College Football Association executive director Chuck Neinas says. "It's also, in this day and age, difficult to mix and match."
The 16 are contractually committed to the Big East and one another for five years, starting this year. But few will be surprised if Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Connecticut, Rutgers, Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida eventually peel off to form their own I-A conference.
A question, too, is whether the next dominoes can be tipped with more sensitivity and decorum.
The verbal and legal brawl between the ACC and Big East still reverberates, and not only through athletics offices.
"We've created a lot of anger and anguish among institutions. A lot of friendships have been damaged if not lost," Hansen says. "College athletics and even higher education have been criticized - sometimes justly, sometimes maybe not so - for the process.
"It's a pretty ugly public process."

By Steve Wieberg, USA TODAY